Cane growers want ethanol sugar hit

Adam was born in New South Wales and was educated at the prestigious Scots College in Sydney.
He has worked both in Australia and United Kingdom for some of the largest newspapers in the two respective countries.
He joined APN as a senior journalist at The Chronicle in Toowoomba in 2010, before moving to APN’S Brisbane Newsdesk in 2013 where he covered politics and court.
Adam won a 2015 Queensland Clarion Award - the state's premier journalism awards - and was named 2011 APN Daily Reporter of...

THE state's sugarcane growers have thrown their support behind the emerging ethanol industry but are urging decision makers not to forget them in the process.

Cane growers currently do not earn a single cent from the ethanol industry, despite a widespread belief they do.

Legislation was introduced into State Parliament this week requiring fuel retailers to meet targets for the sale of ethanol-blended petrol and bio-based diesel.

The proposed legislation will require E10 to make up at least 20% of regular petrol sales across the state.

The government claims the mooted changes would boost jobs across the industry and transform the state into a clean energy economy while enhancing the biofuels and bio-manufacturing sectors in the process.

There are 12 major cane growing regions across the state including those near Maryborough, Bundaberg, Mackay and Proserpine.

Queensland Canegrowers president Paul Schembri said there was a misconception growers would get a monetary benefit from an ethanol industry.

But he said the establishment of an ethanol sector would go a long way to the future sustainability of the sugar industry.

"Cane growers currently do not receive a single cent from the ethanol," he said.

"We need the payment scheme to change so we can get the income stream from ethanol.

"Ethanol is certainly beneficial to our industry, but it is definitely not beneficial to cane growers at the moment.

"It is maybe something the government is unaware of, but it is something that has to be addressed and changed."

The Palaszczuk Government promised to mandate ethanol use across the state in its commitment to win the support of Katter Party MPs in the days following their election win.